Tartary buckwheat (Fagopyrum tataricum) can improve insulin resistance and lipid profile in people with Type 2 diabetes, according to a study published in Nutrition Research. The multi-university research investigated the effects of substituting certain foods with tartary buckwheat.

Tartary buckwheat is also reported to improve Type 2 diabetes symptoms, based on in vivo tests; however, available research on whether it can be used as a whole food for Type 2 diabetics is limited.

The researchers enrolled 165 patients with Type 2 diabetes in a parallel, randomized, open-label, controlled trial. The participants were assigned to either a control diet group, which received systematic diet plans and intensive nutritional education, or an intervention group, which had a portion of their staple food replaced with tartary buckwheat.

Researchers also collected blood samples and diet information at baseline and after four weeks of intervention.

Participants in the intervention group reported a decrease in their fasting insulin (2.46-2.39 Ln mU/L), total cholesterol (5.08-4.79 mmol/L), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (3.00-2.80 mmol/L) levels after four weeks. These results were better compared to those in the control diet group.

Between the intervention and control groups, no significant differences in blood glucose or glycated hemoglobin levels were reported.

Subgroup analysis also revealed that taking tartary buckwheat resulted in a dose-reduction of insulin, total cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, but only in doses lower than 110 g/d.